Have a Solution to Poor Vision Care Worldwide? Read This!

Through a program called See Change Challenge, NineSigma and Essilor are looking for companies, universities, individuals, app developers, vision scientists, optometrists, or engineers to develop solutions that will improve vision care worldwide. Up to five winners of the first phase of the challenge will each earn 25,000 € in cash, and will have the opportunity to enter the second phase, where there will be an additional amount of 100,000 € in cash for up to two final winners. Essilor will also potentially support the final winners with development contracts to help them build and scale up their solutions.

The challenge aims to draw proposals low-cost, easy-to-use and scalable solutions that can be used by primary vision care workers. The proposals may include pure software solutions, software solutions based on consumer devices such as smartphones, or pure hardware devices that enable more people to be trained to become primary eye care workers.

The solutions should include the following: ability to provide measurements of eyesight refractive errors for children, adults, and individuals with ametropia or presbyopia or cataract pathology; Ease of learning; ease of use; adapted to 'nomad' usage; user independent; little to no calibration or maintenance; and of course, reliable and accurate Solution providers can learn more about this opportunity by going to the Essilor See Challenge site on NineSights.com. The submission deadline is October 21, 2016.